How do you see your degree fitting into your career goals?
My degree fits very nicely in my career goals. I am hoping to work with children who have cancer and their families, so having a degree in clinical psychology will really help me out. Not only am I learning how to work with people in the midst of life-changing events in a clinical way, but I am also able to learn neuropsychology and neuropsychological assessment that will help me learn how to determine someone’s level of cognitive functioning following chemotherapy, radiation, etc. This will allow me to work with cancer patients in multiple ways, which is just what I’m hoping to do!

What’s something you wish you would have known before starting your program?
I wish I would have known just how much I would actually be growing and changing while in the program. It’s really incredible to look back and see who I was when I started just 3 years ago compared with who I am now. This program will change you, and I wish I would have known just what that change would look like. I realize that this is pretty much impossible to know, but I wish that I had known to expect it more.

Is there a professor in your program who has shaped you most?
In the Clinical program, each student is assigned to a faculty advisor. This person oversees each of his or her student’s research projects, and really helps to influence our experience of the program. My advisor has definitely shaped these first three years of the program for me. He has been dedicated to my research (sometimes more than I have been!), and has been filled with great ideas of what to research next. Unfortunately, he is moving on to different things next year, and I will have to say goodbye to the wonderful mentoring he has given.

I have also had the great pleasure to work closely with our department chair, Dr. Clements this year. As part of my leadership role on campus, I met with Dr. Clements many times to discuss student issues, plan events, and share what’s going on in our school. I have really been able to see her dedication to students through these meetings, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work so closely with her over the past year.

What’s one of the most challenging/rewarding/enjoyable assignments you have had to complete for a class?
I really enjoy assignments that allow me to get creative. That being said, I have had one professor who has included a creative option in nearly every class I have had with him. For one class, we had to address how we think the author addresses the integration of faith and psychology. So I made a collage. In another class, we got to read a novel and write a case conceptualization for one of the characters. One of the assignments that I enjoyed most (and didn’t really expect to, actually) required us to compare and contrast two distinctly different schools of thought in Psychology. I looked at Structuralism vs. Existentialism, and I was sad that I didn’t have more time to write the paper (which never happens for me…). I think the right side of my brain often feels neglected in grad school, so when I get the chance to use it for my assignments, I’m a very happy camper!

This bears emphasizing right from the start, because this blog is set up by the admissions department, after all. We write these entries hoping that those of you who haven’t come to Fuller yet will learn more about the seminary, and that what you learn will encourage you to consider becoming a student, yourself. Just as our stories are all different, so will your own story be unique. We hope that you might see just enough of yourself in at least one of these stories that, by our having shared them, you will consider taking the leap into the time and cost of a seminary education at Fuller as being worthwhile.

I’ve shared some of the story of how I came to Fuller before, so I won’t go into all that again. In fact, I’m going to skip right ahead to the end of my story.^* Although I did go into seminary seeking to become a pastor, that has not been my ultimate vocational calling. Instead, I have found myself working in academic administration (specifically in Fuller’s School of Theology Dean’s Office). Since my ultimate career has not matched my plans going into seminary, it is perhaps natural to ask “was it all worth it?” I’m convinced that it was, and will only be able to scratch the surface as to why in this blog entry, but let’s give it a shot.

I arrived at Fuller already having a pretty strong background in the Biblical texts themselves, having completed a Bible and Religion major in college. Very few Jeopardy! questions on the Bible slip by me! (I’ve since found that, however much the contestants on the show may struggle with those questions, very few questions of this kind asked on Jeopardy! are sufficiently difficult to impress either Fuller’s teachers or the other students, but I digress) I found that I struggled far more in my Theology courses (and to a lesser extent, my Ministry courses), discovering that some questions are too complex and nuanced to simply say “the Bible says so-and-so” to give an easy answer. Indeed, I came to understand this struggle to be one of the most important benefits of having studied here.

It’s really not enough to know what the Bible says, although that is of course the essential foundation. You still have to do the work of applying the Bible to your life, and that’s not something that can really be done on one’s own. You need other people. You need professors trained in interpretation, and in theological concepts, and in meeting the needs of God’s people in day-to-day ministry. You need other students who likewise have a passion to follow God in whatever ministry they are being led. We learn from each other. I don’t mean to ignore whatever knowledge God divinely “implants” in a learner’s mind. I believe that happens, but I also believe that this is not the exclusive, or perhaps not even the primary way that God teaches God’s people. Fuller provides a context, perhaps unique in the lives of those who come here, in which God uses all the people present at that given time to train each other for the “manifold ministries” (as the seminary mission statement puts it) of God’s kingdom.

Of course, since I thought I was getting all of this valuable knowledge to be a pastor, and I ended up not being a pastor, I haven’t really answered the question about why I feel that it was all worth it. I’m not here going to try to argue that a greater knowledge of God is valuable no matter what you end up doing for your career (although I do believe that it is). I understand that seminary is something that comes with a high cost, both in terms of money and the time that it takes to attend. I would totally understand how a story of a guy who thought he would end up in a career as a pastor, but who ultimately didn’t end up in such a career, would not exactly inspire students to attend. But, for me, I found that I’ve been able to use my education in ways that enhance the career I did end up with. I work in a context with people steeped in seminary knowledge. I manage budgets that enable certain kinds of ministry to take place. I keep records as decisions are made for how seminary education will continue in the future. If I didn’t have the background I now have from having attended Fuller, I wouldn’t understand half what goes on around me, and thus I wouldn’t be able to do these things very effectively.

There is another aspect of my story that I haven’t mentioned up until now. While I was in seminary, I met the women that I eventually married. After we had been married for about a year (and I had already graduated), her own seminary education took a turn, as she began a path toward what we thought at the time was an exclusively academic career. About a year into that, she started considering the possibility of entering ordained ministry herself. Several years after that, she did indeed become a priest, and is now serving as an associate in a local Episcopal congregation (while still working on her PhD for that no-longer-exclusively academic side of her career). Most spouses of people in ordained ministry probably have at least some interest in the work that their spouse does, but I have been blessed with a background that enables me to discuss issues and lend support to her in her ministry that is specific to the fact that I received similar training myself.

So, when I’m asked “was it all worth it?”, I answer without hesitation: “Absolutely!” My path indeed has had several unexpected twists and turns, but I can now look back and see where all of them led me to the place where I’m at now. Exactly where I believe God wants me to be.

^*Perhaps it’s more proper to say “the present.” After all, to speak of the “end,” I’d really be talking about events in my personal future, and would likely have to get into a discussion of theology, eschatology, prophecy, etc. Of course, now that I’ve completed my seminary degree, I could do that….

Each week was structured around a different sphere of life. The topic that I perhaps found most provocative was advertising. Prior to this class I tended to see advertising as a mind-control device used by mega-corporations used to brainwash the masses into mindless spending. Which, of course, is true — at least to some degree. But Dr. Detweiler offered a more nuanced view of advertising that really messed with my mind for a while. As a I result I did my final paper on advertising where I tried to synthesize my long-held convictions with this forceful new perspective that had been presented to me. And the class has a strong practical focus too. There was a focus on how the church presents itself to the culture, and we even had to do a creative “rebranding” project for the church. And barely a week goes by when I don’t think about one of Dr. Detweiler’s quotes from this class where (quoting Cool Rules) where he defined cool as a “permanent state of private rebellion.” There are not many seminary classes that will offer you a working definition of what it means to be the Fonz.

Dr. Detweiler is one of the reasons I came to Fuller. He’s an outstanding communicator and has a unique perspective on theology and culture, being not only a theologian but also a practitioner (filmmaker/screenwriter). Alas, he has moved on to Pepperdine but professors like him are typical of Fuller –people with their finger on the pulse of culture and able to articulate a profound response on behalf of the church. Dr. Kutter Callaway, the T.A. for the class, is similarly excellent (he teaches other classes, including the online class, TC530: THEOLOGY AND FILM). I can’t speak highly enough of the faculty at Fuller. I can assure you that the professors you have in your online classes will be top-notch.

The big advantage of online classes, of course, is primarily what they enable you to do outside the classroom. In my case, doing online classes enabled me to go to Sundance Film Festival (for my favorite Fuller class) and even return home to New Zealand for a month. Online classes, for many people, enable them to stay in their home and ministry context, and yet still earn a degree (something that would’ve been impossible for some in the past). That might sound obvious, but I think it’s an important thing to keep in mind. If you’re missing face-to-face interaction with the professor or you’re sick of staring at the Moodle interface, just remember that this is the format that allows you to earn a degree while staying in or keep up with your classwork while away on vacation. Education is a privilege that is (still) inaccessible to a lot of people, so don’t lose sight of how lucky we are to live in a context that makes such flexible learning possible.

Online learning means there’s no excuses. We’ve got three flexible degrees that be completed primarily online. So now, no matter where you live, you’re able to be a part of what is, in my humble opinion, one of the most exciting places to be in theological education.

I did, however, take an IDL class a few years ago. IDL stands for Individualized Distance Learning, and although these classes aren’t technically “online classes,” they are off campus classes that can be taken in the new MATM and MAICS flexible degrees.

I really enjoyed the IDL I took. It was Early Church History taught by Dr. Nate Feldmeth. The way IDL classes work is that at the beginning of the quarter, Fuller sends you a packet of info including the syllabus and necessary paperwork (like quiz/test forms) and a CD with the audio lectures. It’s up to you to work through the class at your own pace. You listen to the lectures, do the reading, and complete the assignments. You can pack it all into a week or two or stretch it out over the 10 week quarter. It’s up to you!

The best part about IDL classes is that you have the audio files of the lectures forever. I’ve gone back to a few of Dr. Feldmeth’s lectures a few times over the last few years to review some of what he taught. I’m particularly interested in the start of the monastic movement in the second and third century, so I went back to those lectures on more than one occasion. IDLs are the classes that keep on giving!

In short, distance/online learning has come a long way over the last several years. 15 years ago, it was an inferior way to study. Now, not only is it equal to the kind of education you get on a campus in a classroom, but it’s infinitely more flexible!

They were both valuable experiences, but I’ll focus on my online class, since it was more recent. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed the class. At first, I decided to take it because my schedule was really busy and I wanted the flexibility that is so nicely included with online coursework.

The class was a seminary core requirement called Church and Mission in Global Contexts, and it was taught by Dr. Ryan Bolger. The course focused on introducing us to various contributing groups to what Christianity is today (Orthodox, Catholic, Pentecostal, and then New Expressions of Church). Each of these “units” required us to attend a service of the particular movement, gather information about the movement, write a reflection, and interact with our group about our experience. We watched relevant clips of lectures, YouTube videos, and the like, and read books about each particular movement.

What I really appreciated about the class was the hands-on nature of the class. Despite being online, I interacted with my group every week, and really got a feel for what it was like to attend the various churches. Because I tend to be more of an observant (rather than participatory) class member, I am not typically in the thick of conversation and discussion in class. This is especially true in my Theology and Intercultural Studies classes. However, I was really able to engage in this class because I had the chance to formulate my thoughts and ideas and then type them to my group rather than raise my hand and speak in front of a large (and often intimidating) group of other students.

Although I’m not sure how many more online courses I will take during my time at Fuller, I have to say that my expectations were far exceeded by the caliber of this course. And any online course I take from here on definitely will have some pretty large shoes to fill.

If you have any questions about my experience, please feel free to send me an e-mail.

But, I did have one online class.

And I loved it.

Last summer I took a class called Encountering the City online. The class satisfied a ministry class requirement for the MDiv, and it was taught by Dr. Chris Accornero, who is an affiliate faculty member and who did her PhD in Intercultural Studies here. There were students in the class from Fuller’s various regional campuses, students from Fuller’s Pasadena campus, and students who were online-only students (in locations as far away as Thailand and Kenya!).

The purpose of the class was to give us tools to exegete our cities, the way we might exegete the Bible, so that we can serve the people who live in our cities better as pastors, non-profit workers, and even just as residents. To that end, we visited different church and ministry locations in our cities, wrote about these experiences, and, in some cases, got involved in some of these ministries. For example, I volunteered with Fuller’s Food Distribution (which is a food pantry for low-income residents of the city of Pasadena, including Fuller students) for several weeks over the summer. For two hours every Wednesday, I got to help set up and serve our clients. At the end of the quarter, I wrote a paper for Encountering the City about my experience as a volunteer at Fuller’s Food Distribution.

The class was set up so that we would find resources on the course Moodle page, look at these resources, and then go out into our cities to use them. Dr. Chris was responsive, kind, and insightful. She would post links to articles and videos which helped us learn how to observe situations, and to be able to begin to participate. Our assignments challenged us to think critically about the way we interact with other people in our cities.

This class also reminded me that I have a heart for the city. I hope that one day I will serve in a ministry context in an urban area. As someone who grew up in the suburbs, I have ample ministry experience in places where people have yards and fences and don’t always know their neighbors well. But I have served in urban contexts as well, and I love the energy and the connectedness of cities.

So, all of that to say that my experiences with online classes at Fuller have been great. That being said, if you are planning to become an on-campus student, I do highly recommend on-campus classes. There is something gratifying about going to school in real-time. But if you are not currently in a position where you could relocate to Pasadena or one of Fuller’s regional campuses, then I would encourage you to think about applying for admission and taking online classes. You won’t regret it.

You can find out more about our events by clicking here:  www.fuller.edu/experience

For a glimpse of  what it’s like to be at an event, check out these photos from our visits:

As a student in the MA in Intercultural Studies program, and as a full-time worker, I have taken advantage of the options Fuller offers for online learning.  I have taken several classes online, and two classes through Individualized Distance Learning (IDL).

Here’s what I liked about my experience with both:

ONLINE
11-week courses that require you to do weekly projects, responses, readings, and a final paper. 

• Convenient:  Let’s clear this up first -  you do not need to log on for a “class time” during the week.  Students are taking these classes from all over the world, so it would be impossible to have a scheduled time.  So therefore, you can do your work when it’s most convenient to you. Fuller uses an online portal system called Moodle, which if you really want to see how it works, you can click here.But by convenient, I also don’t mean easy, because master’s level work is hard, but while working full-time, it is a nice alternative to having to be in class after work, or to take off work to go to a day class.  You can log on when you like, and post your projects or responses.  I’m in an online class now and I have to read the materials and post a response to a guided question by Wednesday night, and then by Saturday night I have to have responded to other classmates’ contributions.   Each week is planned out with readings and listening to lectures and projects to do, so you can plan out your time easily and know when you need to finish your work.

  You can even download lectures to your iPhone or iPod and listen while at the gym or in the car!
  
  

• Interactive:  Each week you have to interact with your other classmates on projects and papers and responses to the reading.  Like above, I have until Wednesday to finish my work, and then by Saturday to respond to others’, so I can plan my week accordingly, and I do not have to log on at a certain time, but yet, I am still able to interact with other students and their opinions.  I also get to interact with my professor who comments on my work, and others’ work, as we go throughout the quarter.  I have met some good people in classes, and learned a lot from the people in the class (from wherever they may be doing the class), so it’s a unique way of finding community at Fuller.
• Educational:  I have really enjoyed my “Complex Urban Environments” class this quarter.  A few of the books have been phenomenal, so not only would I have never heard of them, but I got to read and discuss them with others (without having to quit my job).  I’ve also taken a class called “Cross-Cultural Leadership in a Global Context” which was hugely transformational for me as I learned how my culture and upbringing has shaped the way I lead.  If you put in the effort, and time, you can benefit from these online classes and it will impact your learning here at Fuller.
• Available:  There are so many classes offered online right now at Fuller, and many more are on the horizon, so it’s exciting to see the options.  With more on the way, it means the courses will get better and better, and different options will be available.
• Suggestions:  Make sure you are taking the right amount of online courses, and not too many.  Our accrediting bodies mandate how many courses we can offer online, so we have to follow the rules.   Click here for information on which degrees offer online units.And, make sure you keep a record of everything you submit online.  I paste everything I do in a google doc.  That way, if the online system messes up or something (haven’t seen it happen, but you never know), you have a record of your work.

IDL
IDL’s follow the 11-week system, but they give you all the work at the beginning of the quarter, and you have until the end of the quarter to turn it in.  No weekly projects or interaction.  

• Challenging:  For IDL courses, you do not have a weekly timeline, or any interaction with other students or your professor (except for questions via email), or anyone pushing you to actually do the work and turn in the projects at the end.  It’s a test of your academic ability (learning only through recordings of lectures and readings), and a test of your work ethic (it’s all on you to finish on time).
• Educational:  I liked my IDL experience because it really pushed me to learn on my own, and learn how to process a lot of information and compile it in to responses and papers.  If you are a self-learner, it could be a really great environment to pour into some books and ideas.
• Suggestions:  It would be tempting to save all the work until the end, or just slack off because you can, but I would highly recommend doing the work as if it’s a weekly class, so that you don’t get to the end of the quarter and realize you need to read 1500 pages and write 3 papers.

That’s my take on the online courses at Fuller.

Will you join us from whatever context you might find yourself in?

“Scripture is an essential part and trustworthy record of divine self-disclosure. All the books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, are the written Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. They are to be interpreted according to their context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through them in living power.”

Fuller strongly affirms that historical and literary methods of studying Scripture can yield a robust evangelical biblical theology. We evangelical biblical scholars must proceed carefully, seeking to limit the extent to which our own cultural presuppositions influence our interpretation of the biblical texts.

Fuller professor emeritus Dr. Donald Hagner has helped Fuller students and the broader evangelical community to walk the path of faithful biblical scholarship for many decades. He recently published an introduction to the New Testament, called “The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction“, that deals with this very concept.  Below are Professor Hagner’s ten tips for practicing biblical scholarship in the Fuller Seminary way – i.e., in a manner that is both “reasonably critical” and loyal to the “trustworthiness, the inspiration, the authority and the power of Scripture” (see also “What We Believe and Teach“).

PROPOSALS FOR AN EVANGELICAL CRITICISM
Affirming the Indispensability of the Critical Method
(i.e., being “reasonably” critical)

 We must: 

1. See what is there (avoiding maximal conservatism, anachronistic approach, harmonizing and homogenizing, partial appeal to historical evidence).

2. Affirm the full humanity of the scriptures (the word of God in the words of men).

3. Define the nature of inspiration inductively (not deductively), i.e., in the light of the phenomena of scripture (doing justice to it as it is).

4. Acknowledge that no presuppositionless position is possible and that the best we can do is to attempt to step outside of our presuppositions and to imagine “what if.” (Only a relative degree of objectivity is attainable.)

5. Modify the classical historical-critical method so far as its presuppositions are concerned, i.e., so as to allow openness to the transcendent, the action of God in the historical process, the possibility of miracle, etc. Develop a method not alien, but appropriate, to what is being studied.

6. Maintain a unified world view, avoiding a schizophrenic attitude toward truth and criteria for the validation of truth.  That is, all truth is God’s truth, including that arrived at through our rationality.

7. Acknowledge that in the realm of historical knowledge we are not dealing with matters that can be proven (or disproven, for that matter!), but with probability. Historical knowledge remains dependent on inferences from the evidence. Good historical criticism is what makes best sense, i.e., the most coherent explanation of the evidence.

8. Avoid the extremes of a pure fideism and a pure rationality based apologetics. Blind faith is as inappropriate as is rationalism.  Faith and reason, however, both have their proper place. What is needed is a creative synthesis.

9. Develop humility, in contrast to the strange (and unwarranted!) confidence and arrogance of critical orthodoxy (concerning constructs that depend on presuppositions alien to the documents themselves).

10. Approach criticism by developing a creative tension between intellectual honestly and faithfulness to the tradition (each side needs constant re-examination), with the trust that criticism rightly engaged in will ultimately vindicate rather than destroy Christian truth.

Note:  The Holy Spirit cannot be appealed to in order to solve historical-critical issues or in the issue of truth-claims. Nevertheless, it is true that for the believer the inner witness of the Spirit confirms the truth of the faith existentially or in the heart.

Concede: Our knowledge is fragmentary and partial and all our wisdom is but stammering. Full understanding can only come after our perfection, and then it will no longer be understanding alone, but worship.

You can also view a video a Dr. Hagner explaining some of these thoughts by clicking here.

What do you think? Is this healthy thinking, or misguided? Which number do you resonate with the most?

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

–

Donald A. Hagner is the George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Senior Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary.  He recently published an introduction to the New Testament called “The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction“.  

Food
I like Happy Hours. Its good food for a cheaper price, what’s not to like? Pasadena is known for their Happy Hours but here are a few places that I love the most:
Yard House (they even have reverse happy hours from 10pm to close if you have a late night class or just because)
Congregations Ale House (Mass anyone? Their Monday Mass is awesome!)
El Cholo Cafe (Best plates for only $5)
McCormick and Schmicks (just across the street from campus, its a great way to get to know your professors)

Let’s Dance!
So the best thing for releasing stress is exercise (or so they say) but I prefer dancing. It’s the type of exercise you can actually do with other people and not look awkward. Here are a few places to get your grove on!
IXtapa (I love going to their free Salsa dancing on Tuesday Nights!)
Booty LA (yes, I said Bootie LA. Its a place where you can go dance the night away with hundreds of other people. And it’s themed!)

Artsy Fartsy
So, as an artist I think it would be criminal if I didn’t mention the great art events available in town. Especially in the Summer, you can see all types of performances, movies, art walks, and much more! Below are just a few:
Laemmle Theater: Great place to watch independent movies!
IPC Gold Class Cinemas: It may cost an arm and a leg, but for a chance to watch a movie in a lazy boy chair that reclines, with a blanket and pillow, free popcorn and gourmet meals; all in a theater? Sign me up!
Pasadena Playhouse: come see some amazing shows and get in with the arts scene in Pasadena!
Norton Simon Museum: amazing artwork!

And there you have it. These are just a few places but I hope you get the chance to enjoy them. And if so let me know, I’d love to join ya!